Officials Seize 600 Pounds Of Marijuana In Mob-Related Bust

BY MIRANDA KATZ

Some two dozen people, several of
whom reportedly have ties to the Mafia, were arrested for allegedly running
elaborate marijuana and oxycodone distribution schemes, as well as an illegal
gambling operation and tax fraud, prosecutors announced yesterday. They've been
charged as the result of a two-year probe run by the NYPD, the Manhattan
District Attorney's office, and theWaterfront Commission. Officers seized more
than 600 pounds of marijuana, 600 oxycodone pills, and 11 handguns.

According to prosecutors, between
February 2014 and November 2015, the defendants grew high-end medical marijuana
in California and shipped it to New York via the U.S. Postal Service. New York
distributors allegedly picked up the pot from UPS stores in the city and
repackaged it, and then sold it under names such as "Pineapple Haze,"
"Girl Scout Cookies," and "Blue Dreams."

They're believed to have made
more than $350,000 a month over a 21-month period, prosecutors said.

John Kelly, 52, and Richard
Sinde, 51, are accused of being the ringleaders of the scheme, and the latter
is currently in prison for participating in organized crime with the Bonanno
crime family. He pleaded guilty and is serving a two- to six-year sentence
upstate, according to the Daily News.

Michael Paradiso, 76, who's been
charged with conspiracy for allegedly helping transport, distribute, and sell
the marijuana, is also an alleged mobster, and Lawrence Dentico, 33, charged
with coordinating the shipping and distribution of the weed, is apparently the
grandson of the 93-year-old Genovese captain with whom he shares his name. The
Daily News reports that two members of the Colombo crime family and one member
of the Gambino crime family were also among those busted.

Also among those charged is
60-year-old Frank Parisi of Parisi Bakery on Elizabeth Street, and it appears
he was also arrested in 2003 when cops found 75 pounds of marijuana in the
pastry shop. He's been charged in both the marijuana scheme and the gambling
scheme.

Several of those charged are also
accused of participating in an oxycodone distribution operation that netted a
comparably wimpy $18,000 in profit, and several are also accused of generating
some $1 million in revenue from gambling. Sinde, Kelly, and several others are
also charged with tax fraud for failing to report their illegal income.

"Whether the alleged offer
was marijuana, pills, or a return on bets placed through an unlawful gambling
operation, the defendants developed a comprehensive system of monetizing
illicit activities and trade," Manhattan DA Cy Vance said in a statement.
"In this case, the alleged schemes generated millions of dollars in
illegal revenue for the defendants, virtually none of which was reported, and
likely all of which went straight into the defendants’ pockets. Profiting on
unlawful conduct will not be tolerated in New York."

The 22 accused have been indicted
on a laundry list of charges, including sale of a controlled substance, sale of
marijuana, tax fraud, promoting gambling, and conspiracy. Information for their
attorneys wasn't immediately available.